


you've got that magic kiss

by lovelivesinthedream



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, love potion, minor elements of magical emotional manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-03 20:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5306312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelivesinthedream/pseuds/lovelivesinthedream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chanyeol accidentally drinks a love potion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you've got that magic kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for fanforyeol on lj and aff. I am krisyeol trash ^-^

Chanyeol is so thirsty that he’s going to die. He’s going to dehydrate. His skin will be all shriveled up and parched until he’s nothing more than a giant empty corn husk. Or maybe even a crusty cactus that has turned a funny orange color – one that nobody wants to bring home because it’s obviously going to perish, and he’ll turn to dust from nothing more than a strong breeze, scattering his nasty dried up cactus prickles all over the place.

Maybe he’s also a little delirious. 

Kyungsoo punches him in the spleen, bringing tears to his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. You can still produce tears, so you’re fine.” The crowd, despite its best efforts, isn’t deafening enough to drown out what Chanyeol interprets as fond exasperation in his voice. (Kyungsoo will deny the fondness to his very last breath, but Chanyeol knows it’s there, deep, deep down.)

He sags to the stage, over-exaggerating for the fans and cameras that catch him at every angle. He glances up at Kyungsoo through his eyelashes, throat bared and chest heaving as sweat drips along his hairline and down his neck. The shouts go absolutely supersonic at the sight of him on his knees in front of his friend and bandmate. 

“Goodbye, cruel world. Tell my parents I love them, and tell Yura that she’s been pretty okay as far as sisters go. All my stuff is to be donated to charity after Minseok-hyung purges the porn files from my computer, tablet and phone.” He’s lucky the fans can’t hear him since he’s not talking in the microphone. 

Minseok is the only one that can be trusted not to exploit Chanyeol’s more peculiar tastes. He’s such a good hyung. Maybe Chanyeol show his appreciation more often.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes so hard that his whole head moves with the force of it. He can’t quite hide the tiny amused curl at the edge of his lips, and Chanyeol feels like he’s just won a contest or come first place in a marathon. It’s not easy to make Kyungsoo laugh. He sees Yifan just offstage to left and nods toward Kyungsoo proudly as if to say, ‘ _Look what I did, hyung! Aren’t I great?’_

But, he still feels like he’s about to die because he’s so thirsty. 

And _there_ , right before his very eyes, comes a bottle like a beacon of hope hurdling up from the crowd. Almost in slow motion it lands directly in front of his slightly parted knees. He stares as if he’s found an oasis in the desert. It’s a miracle sent from above to save him from his deathbed. Without a second thought, he picks the bottle up. It is a very solid plastic, heavy in his hand, square shaped and dark purple in color. The label is in a different language. Mandarin maybe? He should ask Yifan. It’s foreign and indecipherable, the characters seeming to shift and change before his very eyes. He blinks rapidly, trying to focus his vision, but it doesn’t work.

Huh. 

He stands to see Kyungsoo glaring pointedly at the bottle, the unspoken demand that Chanyeol put it down hanging heavily in the air. Strictly speaking, they’re not supposed to drink or eat anything thrown on stage. Who knows what’s in it? What if a sasaeng is trying to poison one of them? It’s stupid to even risk it. 

But… Chanyeol’s really, really thirsty. 

Ignoring Kyungsoo’s glare, he twists the top off and raises the bottle to his lips, eyes closing as he’s gulping down the drink like it’s all he’s had in days. It’s sweet on his tongue and vaguely sticky when he swallows. Like honey, almost. He plans to just have a sip, just something to hold him over until he can steal a bottle of water from a stagehand, but before he knows it the entire thing is empty, the very last drops dripping on his parted lips, and Kyungsoo is punching him again. 

As he opens his eyes, he’s distracted from the dull pain of Kyungsoo’s tiny fist in his side by Yifan waving frantically at him from off stage. It’s the last thing he sees before the world goes black.

*****

“You’re such an idiot,” Baekhyun says as soon as he wakes up early the next morning. The sky still looks dark outside the window. “I’d say I can’t believe you’d do something so dumb, but this is you we’re talking about. _Of course_ you would.”

Dr. Kim Junmyeon laughs as he enters the private room. “Still causing trouble, then? It’s nice to know things still haven’t changed too much since our school days. You’re lucky Kyungsoo called me in. The nurses are dying for a chance to get in here.” 

Chanyeol groans and tiredly rubs his eyes, sending a silent prayer of thanks that Kyungsoo was kind enough to ask his boyfriend to take care of him. He can’t even begin to imagine how chaotic it would be if he had to deal with fans right now. He feels exhausted, limbs heavy and bones aching. His head is a little fuzzy when he experimentally lifts it from the pillow. 

Baekhyun pushes him back down with an unforgiving shove. “Hold still, idiot. Who knows what kind of poison is running through your system now.”

“Poison?!” asks Yifan as he shuts the door behind him. His eyebrows are pulled down in straight lines, heavy over his dark brown eyes. He looks so cute when he’s worried. Chanyeol wants to reach out and pinch his cheeks.

He giggles to himself, squirming in the bed to hide his blushing face behind his hands. 

“What the hell…” Baekhyun mutters under his breath, watching Chanyeol through concerned eyes. “You must be dying.”

“Actually,” Junmyeon says as he glances down at the chart in his hands, “everything came back clean. There weren’t any unknown toxins in the blood sample that was taken. From what I can see, Chanyeol most likely fainted from mild-dehydration and a lack of sleep.” 

“So that mean you can leave when you’re finished with the IV as long you promise to go straight back to the dorm and rest,” he explains with a companionable pat to Chanyeol’s shoulder. He doesn’t look all that convinced by Chanyeol’s fervent nodding, instead turning to glance between Baekhyun and Yifan pointedly when he continues. “Someone should stay and keep an eye on you.”

Baekhyun groans dramatically, flopping back in the plastic hospital chair and throwing his forearm over his eyes. He takes a deep breath, one that Chanyeol knows from years of experience means he’s about to rant and whine until he gets his way. Nobody wants to listen to that. More importantly, Yifan’s perfectly proportioned ears certainly don’t deserve to be subjected to such hell. 

And also, maybe, possibly Chanyeol just wants to be alone with Yifan. 

He watches his fingers pulling at the loose thread of the thin hospital blanket, trying to sound super casual and not nervous when he speaks. “Will, uh, will you stay with me, Yifan-hyung? There’s no way I’d be able to rest with Baekhyun around.” From under his eyelashes he can see Baekhyun struggling between being pleased to be off babysitting duty and offended that Chanyeol doesn’t want him. Luckily, they’re saved from what is sure to be his loud decision by Yifan’s gentle answer. 

“Sure. No problem, Chanyeol.”

To Chanyeol it doesn’t seem strange at all that Yifan’s giant hand patting his knee makes his heart hammer and his smile turn small and shy. He ignores Baekhyun’s surprised look and does his best not to melt into a poodle of goo under Yifan’s kind gaze.

*****

“You don’t have to help me walk, hyung,” he mumbles with pink cheeks as Yifan tightens his arm around his waist. The long fingers of his hand curl around Chanyeol’s side, spread out along his ribs. The heat from his palm radiates all down Chanyeol’s chest like a nice cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. He’s going to swoon right here in the hall if Yifan doesn’t let go. “I’m not going to fall over,” he tries again, only half sure it’s true. 

Yifan chuckles and enters the code to unlock the door with his free hand. “I’m doing this for myself, Chanyeol. It’s chilly out here, and you throw off a lot of heat. So be a good dongsaeng and let me steal your warmth for a few more minutes, okay?”

He says it so simply that Chanyeol almost stumbles over himself to promise to be _a good dongsaeng_ in whatever way Yifan wants. It’s only because he’s not completely shameless that he is able to stop himself. Chanyeol doesn’t believe Yifan’s reasoning for a second, but he does appreciate Yifan trying to make him feel less helpless. He ducks his head to hide his silly grin. Yifan laughs again, low and short as they walk together in the vacant dorm. 

The group is preparing to promote a new album right now. Baekhyun and Jongdae should be at the studio recording as guest MCs for a music show. Jongin is probably with SHINee’s Taemin to ‘practice the new choreography,’ though everyone knows that’s basically code for them flirting while sweaty and half-naked. They’ve been dancing around their attraction for each other, quite literally in this sense, for years. Sehun and Yixing are most likely with the group’s main stylist and fashion coordinator, Z. Tao. He’s in the process of creating a fashion line specifically for them, so all the members have been visiting him when they have a spare moment to finish the final touches before the launch. Kyungsoo might be filming his new drama or he might be on a date with Dr. Kim – it’s really hard to tell since he never writes anything in the group _Kakao_ chat. Chanyeol is supposed to be a guest on _Running Man_ with Minseok, but he thinks Baekhyun said Luhan agreed to take his place for the day. 

Come to think of it, Yifan is supposed to have the day off – he always has the day off after a concert. Officially, he is the group’s main translator since he’s fluent in four different languages. He helps them when they have interviews in other countries and Yixing doesn’t have to time interpret everything for all of them. He makes them more comfortable when they have no idea what is going on around them in foreign places. It’s not as scary with Yifan around to help them understand what’s happening or what the MC is asking them to do. 

Unofficially, they all like hanging out with him to the point where he has an extra bed in their dorm even though spare room is lacking. That’s how important he is to them. Over the last two years they’ve strong-armed him into practically becoming a member of their band family. Though, to be honest, the extra bed is often used by Z. Tao and Junmyeon, too. The twelve of them are all very close. 

(There are even entire fansites dedicated to them because of how much time they spend with the group. There are people that show up to the concerts just to see Yifan translating things unobtrusively, darting from member to member as gracefully as he can with his long legs. Chanyeol doesn’t blame those fans because Yifan is as handsome as a prince and as kind as a saint.) 

Chanyeol cocks his head to the side as he reminisces about the many fond memories he has of spending time with Yifan. Most of the time he tries to act like a cool city guy, but he’s actually a warm hearted dork. A major part of his charm is how easy going and laid back he is. He’s unintentionally funny when he tries too hard to be cool. It’s really nice to kick back and play video games with him over contraband pizza and drinks after a long day. It’s even nicer when they can sneak down by the river and play basketball late at night until they’re exhausted and breathless. Chanyeol feels himself flush hot as he recalls the easy way Yifan lifts the bottom of his shirt to wipe sweat from his face, flashing the long stretch of his flat torso with faintly defined abs. 

That’s usually around the time Yixing or Luhan will jump on his back, screeching with victory and demanding their trusty steed carry them to a snack cart. Yifan always puts up a big fuss like it pains him to do so, but in the end he does as they ask with a small smile on his tiny mouth. 

Gah, he’s just too cute for Chanyeol to deal with.

He slumps on the couch with a defeated groan. 

“What’s the matter? Do you feel sick? Should I call Junmyeon?” Yifan asks in a panic, feeling Chanyeol’s forehead to check for a fever. “Ah, I don’t even know how to tell,” he mutters to himself. 

“No, no!” Chanyeol squeaks in a much higher pitch than his deep voice normally produces. Yifan smells so nice up close like this. How has he never noticed before? “I’m just hungry. Will you make me something to eat, hyung?” he asks with his biggest puppy-dog eyes, lower lip pushed out in a pout. 

“Of course, Chanyeol-ah,” is his easy response.

Yifan ruffles his hair, long fingers threading through the dark strands and causing Chanyeol to nearly choke on his tongue in his suddenly very dry mouth. He manages to swallow the needy whimper that tries to give away his feelings when Yifan lifts himself up to his full height. Towering over Chanyeol, making him feel all squirmy and warm as he looks up and does his best not to let his eyes linger too long over the vast planes of Yifan’s body. He’s like a damn anime character with his long legs, lean frame, giant hands and model face. It’s not fair. 

While Yifan’s in the kitchen, Chanyeol is bored. A bored Chanyeol tends to be an annoying Chanyeol, and what better way to be bored and annoying than to bother Baekhyun. Besides, Chanyeol has genuine questions that he needs answered. He pulls out his phone and sends off a text with very little regard to the fact that Baekhyun might be recording the music show right now. He’s said before that’s it’s mostly a lot of standing around anyway. Maybe he’ll be happy for a distraction.

Shrugging, Chanyeol sends off a quick, <i>Did you notice how good Yifan-hyung smells today?</i>, and then decides to flick through the channels on the television for something to do. There’s a cartoon marathon he’s tempted by, but he doesn’t want Yifan to think he’s childish for watching cartoons at 23 years old. Even though the age difference between them isn’t much more than a few years, he’s struck by the sudden panic that Yifan will think he’s too young. 

Too young for what, though? 

Chanyeol himself is a little surprised by his own thoughts today; however, he lets it go easily enough. Yifan’s always been attractive. It’s possible that Chanyeol only needed to slow down a little in order to see it fully. Fainting on stage has turned out to be very eye-opening for him. 

He decides to stop on a documentary on MTV about Big Bang’s G-Dragon and TOP. As the first openly gay celebrity k-pop couple after the legalization of same sex marriage in the country, they’re something of an inspiration for a lot of people. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon didn’t exactly go public afterward, but they don’t hide in secret like they used to do. Chanyeol himself felt comfortable enough to admit to the company what every one of his family and friends, including his fellow group members, already knew. Turns out nobody was all that shocked to discover he was bisexual. 

His phone vibrates on his leg, and he frowns down at Baekhyun’s reply: **no?? y r u smelling him??**

Why does Baekhyun need to make it sound weird? Yifan smells nice. It’s a fact that should be acknowledged. It’s not like Chanyeol’s sitting here with his nose pressed against his throat or anything. 

But then he starts to picture it. Yifan beside him on the couch, arm thrown over Chanyeol’s shoulders. Chanyeol’s head resting on his chest as they cuddle together. Maybe he digs his cold toes under Yifan’s giant feet that he’s resting on the coffee table, laughing when Yifan yelps like a wounded animal in surprise.

_He’s probably great at cuddles. I’m going to find out,_ he types back surely, a determined set to his jaw. He fumbles and nearly drops his phone when he hears Yifan bump into a kitchen chair on his way back. It makes him smile to himself. Yifan’s clumsiness is endearing and relatable. Both of them have limbs that are too long, that grew too quickly once puberty hit, and still aren’t quite coordinated in their tall bodies. Chanyeol sort of likes that they have that awkwardness in common. It’s comforting. 

“You’re lucky Jongdae left something in the fridge for you,” Yifan says as he enters the room with a bowl of steaming soup dwarfed in his hands. “I’m not that great in the kitchen, and you’re already recovering. Probably shouldn’t make it worse.” He laughs softly, eyes crinkled as he settles beside Chanyeol who hastily seizes his opportunity. He makes sure their bodies are pressed together from shoulder to thigh, reveling in the closeness. 

**Wtf is wrong with u??** Chanyeol grunts, keying in a fast, _he’s too handsome, baek. i can’t be blamed,_ and tosses his phone away.

Yifan gives him a funny look, like maybe Chanyeol is behaving strangely, but he seems to shrug it off after a moment. “It’s too hot. I’ll cool it off a bit so you don’t get hurt,” he promises with earnest eyes. He blows on the steaming soup, tiny lips puckered cutely and so focused on his task that Chanyeol almost coos. He just wants to bundle Yifan up in blankets, give him a cup of warm tea and hold him in his arms for hours or days or forever. Better yet, they could make a blanket cocoon around both of them! Then they’d be even closer, and Yifan’s warm cinnamon scent would soak into Chanyeol’s skin and—

“Your phone’s buzzing,” Yifan interrupts his fantasy with a gentle nudge of his elbow. Chanyeol flushes when Yifan looks at him like that, like he wants to know what’s going on inside head, like he can figure it out if he just looks hard enough. He turns away, lowering his eyes lest they give away all of the want that’s blooming in his chest. 

He frowns in confusion when he sees who is calling. “Aren’t you supposed to be recording the music show?”

“Chanyeol! The filming ended early, but that’s not important. Where’s Yifan right now?”

“Uh, beside me…” 

Baekhyun curses under his breath. “Look, put me on speaker so you can both hear.”

Chanyeol shares an uncertain shrug with Yifan and sets the phone on speaker. 

“We’re listening. What’s wrong, Baekhyun?” Yifan asks, leaning forward with concern.

“I saw the bottle Chanyeol drank out of in the car on the way to filming today, and it reminded me of something I saw when I was younger.” There’s some rustling over the line, and then Baekhyun’s voice gets clearer. “I went to visit my grandma to see if she knew what it was…”

Yifan glances at Chanyeol, not understanding. _She’s a mudang,_ he whispers. _A shaman._ Yifan’s brows get even lower in worry.

“I know it sounds crazy, okay, but she says it was a love potion. I mean think about it, Yifan,” he cuts in quickly before Yifan can brush it off as a joke. “Hasn’t Chanyeol been acting odd?” He draws in a deep breath and his voice takes on the scratchiness he gets when he’s getting worked up about something. “At the hospital his whole face lit up the second you walked in the room. He turned bright red every time you looked in his direction, and he actually _giggled_ while mumbling about how cute you were.”

“Th-that doesn’t mean anything! I just have a crush!” Chanyeol tries to shout, but his voice cracks in embarrassment as Yifan watches him. “God, Baekhyun, you’re such an ass sometimes.”

Baekhyun huffs indignantly. “I’m trying to help you, idiot, before you do something you’ll end up regretting. Yifan, I’m trusting you to keep an eye on Chanyeol until I get back. Please, don’t hold whatever asinine things he says today against him.” 

“I’ll take care of him,” Yifan replies solemnly like the weight of the world rests on his shoulders. He’s so responsible and reliable. Loyal. Chanyeol admires him so much. When he sighs dreamily, Yifan blushes and turns away, quickly stirring the soup again to look occupied. 

Baekhyun’s obnoxious voice cuts off his next dreamy sigh. Exasperated, he does as Baekhyun asks and takes the phone off speaker, holding it up to his ear to hear. “Is that all? Can I go now, or what?”

“I’m so glad the bottle says this will only last for 24 hours! I know you’re not taking this seriously because you’re still under the influence of the potion, but it really annoys me how disinterested you’re acting. You’re going to owe me so much when this is over,” Baekhyun grumbles in annoyance as if he’s not the one disturbing the only time Chanyeol’s been a _lone_ with Yifan in forever. 

“Anyway, I didn’t think you’d want hyung to hear this part. My grandma says it’s not _exactly_ a love potion – it can’t create feelings that aren’t there; it can only make them stronger, more pronounced. Which means-”

“I like Yifan-hyung,” Chanyeol declares without hesitation. Yifan’s eyebrows nearly disappear in his hairline. Baekhyun curses again. 

“Just try to keep your mouth closed and your hands to yourself, Chanyeol. Trust me, you don’t want to confess like this. I’ll be back soon, and I’ll help you until the potion wears off.”

Baekhyun hangs up, and Chanyeol becomes acutely aware of the small space Yifan’s created between their bodies. They’re no longer touching at all. It causes an uncomfortable itch under his skin, a swooping drop in his stomach. No, no, _no_. This can’t be happening. Yifan doesn’t want anything to do with him now. Maybe he thinks Chanyeol is too young, or childish or loud. Maybe he thinks Chanyeol is annoying and doesn’t want anything to do with him. Maybe he thinks Chanyeol’s feelings are a burden.

He won’t even look at Chanyeol. Barely hides the flinch when their fingers brush as Chanyeol takes his soup, though he feels like if he tries to eat it’ll come right back up. 

Chanyeol is mumbling to himself, brain beginning to throb and chest starting to ache. He’s afraid he messed up by saying how he feels. Was he too sudden with his declaration? Is he too awkward? Not handsome or smart enough? Is it that Yifan isn’t interested in guys, or is he not interested in _Chanyeol_?

Yifan’s voice soothes the nagging worries in his head like a cool balm over a sunburn. “Don’t cry, Chanyeollie. Calm down, please.” His eyes are sad and pained, his big hands twisted together between his knees. “There’s nothing wrong with you. I promise. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

Chanyeol can’t help himself. His body moves almost without his permission, and he’s got his face pressed against Yifan’s sturdy chest, crying and clinging before he knows it. It takes a long, long moment before Yifan’s tense muscles relax. In the end, Chanyeol feels Yifan’s arms wrap around him, Yifan murmuring quiet, pacifying words near his ear until Chanyeol, exhausted and warm, falls asleep. 

*****

“Hyung, didn’t your parents teach you not to take candy from strangers?” Sehun greets him as soon as his eyes flutter open. The tall dancer rolls his eyes. “Drinking something tossed up on stage is the same thing. I really hope you learned your lesson.”

Jongin pushes Sehun with his shoulder, a small quirk to his lips. “Don’t mind this brat. He was worried, hyung. This time it was a love potion, but it could have been something worse. Please be more careful.”

“Yah! Children need to leave so the adults can talk for a minute,” Luhan declares loudly. He ushers a pouting Sehun and Jongin away, stepping aside for Minseok and Yixing to push into the room. He firmly closes the door behind him as if anyone is bothering to listen in from outside. 

Must be important. 

Chanyeol’s head prickles like the sensation of a foot falling asleep. His stomach lurches, his heart skipping two beats as he recalls what happened. 

“Oh damn…” he groans. He tries to bury himself under his pillow, but Minseok yanks it away. 

Yixing settles near his feet on the bed and checks his watch. He nods to himself and pats Chanyeol’s leg. “It’s after 9pm. According to Baekhyun’s grandma, the potion should have worn off by now. How do you feel?”

Somehow, Yixing is able to make his question seem more sincere than invasive. Luhan is just about bursting with things he wants to say, wiggling where he stands. It’s probably only Minseok’s warning look that keeps him from pouncing on Chanyeol. 

Minseok is such a good hyung. 

“A tiny headache. Sort of hungry.” Chanyeol shrugs, trying to play it off and avoid what he knows they’re really after. 

No luck. Luhan jumps on the bed and swats his arms, whining, “How do you feel about Yifan?!”

Chanyeol swallows, glances away shiftily. His cheeks heat up tellingly, and Luhan howls, triumphant. “Yes! I knew it! You two owe me dinner and a movie of my choice!” he points to Yixing and Minseok, waggling his fingers. Yixing shrugs easily, but Minseok pushes him over with a flick to his forehead. 

“It’s not a bet if you’re the only that agrees to it.”

Luhan pouts and rubs his forehead. Minseok sighs and sits down, trapping Chanyeol with the serious set of his eyebrows. It’s impossible not to listen when Minseok has something to say, especially when his face is like that. 

“Firstly, I’d like to say that if you ever drink something from a stranger again, I’ll hold you down while Kyungsoo beats you up. Idiot.” Chanyeol gulps in fear as he pictures that. Kyungsoo is scary enough on his own – he’s absolutely terrifying when paired with Minseok. Failing to suppress his smug grin, Minseok continues, “Secondly, I know you’re probably worried that things will be weird between the two of you, but I’m asking you as your hyung to _please_ , talk to him. I can’t give anything away, but I promise you’ll feel a lot better if you do.”

Chanyeol absolutely does not want to do that. At all. He’d like nothing more than to hide under his blankets until management demands he get up – he’s not naïve enough to think that’d take very long. 

The problem is that Minseok is a good hyung, and he’s never asked Chanyeol for anything before. He can’t say no.

Flopping back on the bed dejectedly, Chanyeol groans out an agreement. With his face covered by the blanket, he misses the conspiratorial grins that Yixing, Luhan and Minseok share.

*****

Yifan is alone in the van when Chanyeol gets shoved in. He knew something was suspicious when Yixing asked him to go shopping the next morning. Yixing hates shopping. From out the tinted window he can see Yixing and Baekhyun high-fiving. There’s a sharp clicking sound. Luhan sends him a thumbs up, spinning the keys around his finger, and runs back to the stairs of the car-park. 

Desperate, Chanyeol tries the door. It’s locked. Of course it is. His bandmates are _evil_. 

“Assholes,” he mutters angrily. 

“Is sitting here with me that bad?” Yifan laughs humorlessly. Chanyeol freezes, heart skipping in his chest. Yifan runs a hand through his hair, staring down at his feet with heavy eyebrows and a hard set to his jaw. “Is this what it’s going to be like now? I thought…”

Chanyeol sits back and frantically waves his hands. He’s not sure what he’s going to say, but he knows with absolute certainty that he doesn’t like the sad tone of Yifan’s voice. It makes something coil tight and panicky in his gut. 

“I’m sorry, hyung! I was just a little surprised, that’s all. It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you!”

Yifan gives him a skeptical look, finally meeting Chanyeol’s eyes, and Chanyeol takes a deep breath. It’s now or never. He can admit the truth, try to see where it takes them, or he can pretend it was all the potion’s fault. 

But… that would be cowardly, and Chanyeol doesn’t want to be a coward anymore. He knows that he thinks Yifan is attractive from the tips of his pointed, heavy brows, tiny mouth, cute pout and all the long expanses of his body. Chanyeol’s had _dreams_ about Yifan’s big hands, sturdy thighs and pale neck. He’s thought about it all a lot before, but he’s never wanted to consider having actual feelings. 

Looks like the feelings happened anyway because Chanyeol can’t deny that he likes all sorts of things about Yifan. Sometimes he trips over his own feet. He orders extra chicken for Jongin and Sehun because they’re too skinny. He dotes on Kyungsoo and Yixing, and lets Baekhyun and Jongdae pester him with an exasperated but fond smile. He even grudgingly helps Minseok keep Luhan from groping all of them in public. He makes tea for Junmyeon after he visits from a long shift at the hospital, and he wholeheartedly lets Z. Tao use him as a model when he needs to try out new designs. He took care of Chanyeol on his day off without any hesitation. Yifan tries to hide his gummy grin behind his giant hands sometimes even though it’s adorable. He snorts when he laughs too hard. At night, he sleeps with a stuffed llama named Ace. 

Yifan is always there when they need him, and he’s – he’s just—

“I like you!” Chanyeol blurts out. Yifan’s eyes widen to become impossibly round. “The, uh, the potion,” he says, scratching the back of his neck shyly, “it only made my feelings more pronounced which is why I was kind of hanging all over you yesterday, and I’m totally sorry about that by the way! It’s just that you looked so cute and you’re so warm-” 

Yifan’s face is bright red, so Chanyeol clears his throat and laughs haltingly. 

“Ah, I mean, I do really, really like you without any stupid potions controlling my thoughts and actions. And, if you’re okay with it, I’d, uh… like to try this?” He gestures between them helplessly. Yifan is speechless for the longest minute of Chanyeol’s life, leaving him nearly breathless in anticipation. 

Finally, there’s a tiny grin hiding in the corner of his mouth, and Chanyeol relaxes infinitesimally. “Are you asking me out?”

Chanyeol nods enthusiastically, unable to form words as he waits for an answer. A full smile, gums and all, beautifully blooms across Yifan’s face. He captures Chanyeol’s bobbing head in his large hand, cradling his cheek and leaning nearer. He smells so _great_. Chanyeol feels light headed, all his blood rushing too fast through his veins as his heart races, and he has a moment of horror where he’s afraid he’ll pass out again. 

But Yifan would catch him. He always catches him. 

“You’re pretty cute, too,” Yifan says quietly, lips so close that they brush against Chanyeol’s and send a shiver down his body. He closes the distance between them, pressing a chaste kiss to Chanyeol’s mouth like a promise of all the things to come – all the things Chanyeol is suddenly dying to have. “Let’s try this,” Yifan breathes out.

Chanyeol smiles so big that he’s sure his face is doing that thing it does, one eye bigger than the other and too many teeth, but Yifan is still holding him, smiling fondly back. Chanyeol knows everyone is mad that he drank something thrown on stage, and he can admit it was pretty dumb, but, privately, he’s never been more grateful since it steered them to this. 

  



End file.
